Massive SSD density boost is on the horizon thanks to Kioxia's 1,000-layer NAND plan
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Japanese memory maker Kioxia has some encouraging news that could supercharge SSD densities. At the International Workshop on Memory Technology in Seoul, the company laid out an ambitious roadmap to reach a staggering 1,000 layers of 3D NAND flash by 2027. But getting there will be no easy feat.

Kioxia's projections, as covered by the Japanese outlet PC Watch, extrapolate from past trends and improve upon existing NAND cell technology.

The company expects NAND die density to hit 100 Gbit/mm² with 1,000 memory cell layers just three years from now. To achieve this, the rate of increase would have to be maintained at 1.33 times per year.

3D NAND layer counts have indeed rapidly increased, from just 24 layers in 2014 to 238 layers in 2022 – a tenfold jump in under a decade. Last year, SK Hynix even showcased a sample of 321-layer 1 Tb TLC 4D NAND chips.